The weekend sailor of a recreational sailboat is often constantly confronted with a shortage of time for boating because of work and family obligations. It is therefore desirable to shorten the time required to begin a particular sailing voyage, i.e. the time required to travel from the sailor's home to the sailboat and the time required to rig the boat or put the boat in the water.
The time spent rigging the sails of a sloop or other small boat can involve any of a number of procedures from stepping the mast of the boat, which is rarely done each time the sailboat is used, to bending on the mainsail on the boom of a sailboat which is moored or at a slip in a harbor.
In the case of a comparatively small sloop under about eighteen feet the mainsail is often stored between sailing outings in a sailbag. This is done by reversing the steps used to bend on the mainsail, removing the sail from the boom and the mast, properly folding it and then storing it in the sailbag. This procedure is of course too time-consuming if one simply wishes to lower the sail because the wind has become too heavy and use an auxiliary motor to power the sailboat while contemplating using the mainsail again when the wind has died. That is also true when one wishes to temporarily lower the mainsail while making a stop at an intermediate location for recreational purposes or to take on food or fuel. Then the mainsail may be temporarily stored by easing up on the main halyard, cranking or pulling the mainsail downward and sliding the entire luff rope or other attaching means for the luff of the main from the slot in the aft portion of the mast. The mainsail then may be simply wrapped temporarily around the boom after disconnecting the main halyard. Later all that is required is that the main halyard be reattached to the eye in the headboard, the luff of the mainsail be reconnected to the slot in the aft of the mast and the mainsail be raised. However this method of temporary storage is inconvenient and somewhat dangerous. The mainsail can flop around somewhat when wrapped around the boom especially if this is done rapidly and can be impaired or even damaged by tearing. This is especially true if it is incompletely wrapped around the boom.
An even more rapid method of temporarily storing a mainsail on the boom of a sloop to make a temporary stop or to wait for the wind to die down is based on a modification of the typical mainsail. A plurality of grommets having plastic slugs fitting in the slots of the boom and the mast are attached at the edge of the foot and the luff of the mainsail spaced from each other. The bending on of the mainsail occurs by sliding the slugs on the foot in the mainsail in the slot in the boom and attaching the boom downhaul, attaching the halyard to the eye in the headboard and then raising the main part of the way sliding the plastic slugs in the aft slot in the mast. Stops are then installed at the end of the slots in the boom and the mast which prevent the plastic slugs from sliding from the slots. Cloth gasket tiedowns can then be used to secure the mainsail to the boom for storage but the main halyard remains attached during storage and the luff of the main remains attached to the mast so that a very rapid raising and lowering of the main can be made. The disadvantages of this method are that installation is somewhat complicated and expensive additional work is required by a sail maker. Furthermore when the sail is finally taken from the boom and the mast for winter storage or repair reinstallation is time-consuming and tedious. Thus the method is not very desirable for trailered sailboats which are put in and out of the water each weekend.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device which assists in rapid temporary storage of the mainsail of a slope on its boom while the main halyard remains attached to the mainsail and the mainsail remains attached to the mast but which does not require expensive and time-consuming special modifications of the mainsail.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device which assists in rapid temporary storage of the mainsail of a slope on its boom while the main halyard remains attached to the mainsail and the mainsail remains attached to the mast but which does not require complicated and time-consuming special procedures for installation or removal of the sail from the mast and/or the boom.
It is a general object of the invention to provide a device which assists in rapid temporary storage of the mainsail of a slope on its boom while the main halyard remains attached to the mainsail and the mainsail remains attached to the mast but which is both economical and simple to install.